How to select and work with a consultant;

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How to Select and Work with a Consultant
by ALLISON L. AUGUR, JR. Manager, Management Advisory Services, Cincinnati Office
Presented before the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Produc­tion
and Inventory Control Society, Cincinnati—November 1970
TOPICS ASSOCIATED with the selection and use of consultants are receiv-ing much attention in the literature and discussions of today's busi­ness
community. There seems to be no doubt that they are a very real part of the business scene, but unfortunately there is also no doubt that there is a great deal of confusion concerning the most effective ways for a company to utilize the services provided by consultants.
The purpose of this article is to reduce some of this confusion by an­swering
the following questions:
• What is a consultant?
• What do consultants do and how do they do it?
• When should you use a consultant?
• How should you select a consultant?
• How should you work with a consultant to obtain maxi­mum
benefits?
WHAT IS A CONSULTANT?
Surprisingly, this is not an easy question to answer. In 1969 the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued three state­ments
on Management Advisory Services (MAS) defining the nature, role, and competence requirements of independent accounting firms in providing consulting services. The statement on the nature of MAS begins:
Management Advisory Services by independent accounting firms can be described as the function of providing professional advisory (con­sulting)
services, the primary purpose of which is to improve the client's use of its capabilities and resources to achieve the objectives of the organ­ization.
This statement describes the areas, approaches and processes typi­cally
associated with providing the services, but it also recognizes the impracticability of establishing a "list of acceptable areas of service." It
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